The present invention relates generally to a method of manufacturing a clevis end connecting rod.
In railroad car trucks, the use of a number of different clevis end connecting rods is required, particularly for the braking mechanism and brake linkage. For example, truck lever connection rods, brake cylinder push rods, and brake rod ends are required for interconnecting the brake linkage. All of these rods have a clevis end at at least one end of the connecting rods, which is bifurcated and has spaced aligned holes for connection to another linkage member. Some of the clevis ends are provided with a plurality of spaced transverse clevis pin holes or bores to permit adjustable clevis pin connection for different required lengths of connecting rods in the linkage system.
These brake rods and connections are generally manufactured or fabricated by hot drop forge techniques. In other words, the clevis end of the rods are formed from enlarged ends of a basic metal rod by forging techniques. This provides a very adequate and strong clevis end brake rod or connecting rod; however, the method of manufacture with hot forging techniques is extremely expensive and energy consuming.
Other methods of manufacturing such brake rods or connecting rods by welding techniques are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,187 and in my co-pending patent application Ser. No. 283,945 filed July 16, 1981 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,726 issued on Nov. 15, 1983.
It is a principal object of the present invention to manufacture a clevis end brake rod or connecting rod strictly by cold working techniques, with the exception of welding, to provide a less expensive brake rod or connecting rod which is equally strong as the prior art members, and to further provide a method for so doing which permits easy manufacture of such rods which have compound ends or curvatures which are generally required in order to have the rod attain operating clearance in relation to adjacent obstructions.